7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 40)

By the time you read this our Kidsave child Rita will be here!…Maybe. The kids were supposed to arrive last night at 8:00 but got stuck in Atlanta, so now they’re scheduled to arrive around noon today. I can’t imagine how crazy that must have been for these kids, most of whom have never flown before, to end up in a strange hotel in a strange country. I hope they don’t experience any more delays. I’ll post some updates on Twitter throughout the weekend.

— 2 —

Last week was a great week for meeting bloggers. I already mentioned last week that I was going to meet Lisa Hendey but I forgot that that was the same weekend we were meeting fellow atheist-to-Catholic convert Julie D. We met up with her, her husband and one of her daughters at the Darwins‘ house after Mass for some extremely impressive omelets and lively conversation. I’ve been a big fan of her blog since 2005 and meeting her was just as great as I thought it would be.

— 3 —

When I met Lisa Hendey last Friday I had the pleasure of chatting with her for her Catholic Moments podcast. After one of those lunches where you think that if you just had about 12 more hours you might be able to skim the surface on all you want to talk about, we went back to her hotel and did a podcast interview where we talked about my conversion, homeschooling discernment and, of course, blogging. Our interview is online here if you’d like to listen to it.

— 4 —

I was trying to find a stuffed animal to give Rita as a welcome gift, and had the great idea to get her one with Texas flavor. As I looked through the bins of cute stuffed kitties and puppies at Target, I tried to think of what a local stuffed animal might look like. A scorpion in a cowboy hat? A terrifying centipede holding a heart? A cuddly fire ant? I think I’m just going to get a teddy bear and call it a day.

Did you guys read the comments to the feces fiasco post? It really is feeling all The Ring up in here with the stories of the wrath of the poop-fates coming down on anyone who laughed at the post.

Oh, and one more thing: If you were holding out tips for preventing toddlers from taking their diapers off, please come forth with them now. Some people suggested duct taping the diaper on. Done. Anything else?

— 7 —

I feel so much pressure that both Rita and the chaperone will be with us on the 4th of July for their first trips to America! I think we’re just going to go to my grandfather’s for a cookout with friends and then try to catch fireworks later. With all the travel they’ve been doing, not to mention the 100-degree temperatures, I doubt they’re up for much more than that. (Read: I am not up for much more than that and am projecting my own laziness and disdain of heat onto my guests.)

For my American readers: What are your plans for the 4th of July? Have a great weekend, everyone!

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Below is a Mr. Linky list if you’d like to add a link to your own 7 Quick Takes post. (1) Make sure the link you submit is to the URL of your post and not your main blog URL. (2) Include a link back here.

I'm sure your 4th celebrations will make a lasting impression no matter what. I think that is such a neat experience for Rita. I got to experience Cda Day in Montreal in a very pro Canada area just a few years after Quebec had had its referendum on whether to be its own country. The fervor with which those people celebrated being Cdn that day is forever imprinted on my brain. Sometimes atmosphere and vibes just speak for themselves. I'm sure Rita will 'get it' meaning the significance of the day.

I just had to laugh at your diaper story. We have had similar stories and it always seems to occur at the most inconvenient times! But the only thing we found that worked was diaper pins (and we used disposable diapers). They could not figure out how to undo them (and I have very mechanically inclined children).

Hey, I think this is my first time commenting, I found you through Kacie (http://papuagirlindallas.blogspot.com/) who is one of my best friends from high school and still – well, still so! I have been back-reading some of your posts and have just added you to my blog list because I LOVE the way you write about faith – so intelligently and compassionately, and it's clearly real to you. I'm a Christian, but not a Catholic, but reading your posts has really made me think through some things I haven't ever thought through properly before, especially the meaning of sex as life creation. Very coherent! Anyway, as I did 7 quick takes, I thought I would say hi.God bless.

Depending on the size of your toddler and what you are able to find, you can sometimes still get onesies or footed pjs in toddler sizes. Those will usually do the trick. Happy 4th and enjoy your visitors!

Finally returning to my favorite way to celebrate the 4th–a baseball game! I'll be joining my parents and brother and sister for a Rangers game, while my kind husband stays home with the kids, who hate fireworks.

I can't wait to read about Rita. Oh, and a stuffed armadillo is what you need, of course.

re: Fire Ant Plush Toys: According to the old Ortho commercial for fire ant killer (best stuff I ever used!), "No one makes fire ant plush toys." (Did you have those in Texas? They played incessantly in Florida, but I loved them!)

re: Independence Day: Not sure what we're doing aside from sleeping late and catching some fireworks locally. Little Girl is supposed to have a pool party the next day, but it's supposed to be 75 and scattered thunderstorms. In Virginia. In July. BAH! Last year, we just drove up the street and watched the fireworks from the park nearby. It was actually quite lovely, not crowded, and still very beautiful. And we were 1/2 mile from the house with about five cars to compete with for leaving.

I would like to encourage you to get Rita an armadillo as well. Preferably one with a little Texas flag bandanna, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. Of course, the easiest place to find them is at airports on the other side of security. Good luck!

I am not American, but I hope to be soon! My fourth of July plans involve avoiding child wakefulness during fireworks. We live outside of city limits and people set them off all night long. Also, Mexican food.

Cool 7 Takes this Week. Praying for smooth sailing with you new guest! Yes, the Lenny Kravitz thing was awesome! Glad Theresa mentioned it in her comment because I had already forgotten where I got the link from (just during the process of writing up my own 7 takes and getting distracted along the way). Thanks for hosting!

We are grilling our Ribs Sat and really splurging Sunday with Steaks an unheard item for some time due to limited income. Having friends both days over.Some bottle rockets but will stand in driveway and see the skies which light with towns around fireworks displays.

Jennifer, I'm thinking of you a lot as we head into the weekend. What a thrilling day it's going to be. Like others here, I am in awe — an infant, three other small kids, and now a child from another country? But I can feel the excitement from here and know that it is going to be an awesome experience. Looking forward to hearing more.

The only way I can think of to keep toddlers from reaching under and through their legs is to duct tape some item of clothing (like pajama pants or something) around the knees, and also around the waist. That's if your kids are as determined as mine to get their hands on the poo. Otherwise, a backwards diaper or cloth would probably do the trick. Good luck.Btw, good job on the Lisa Hendey interview!

I was laughing heartily at your poop story, but I feel safe because an incredibly similar experience already happened to me. Thanks for the memory. 3-4 years later, I can laugh at it, but not without wincing a bit.

When my son was younger, we put him in pajamas that button or zip from the knee to the neck (like one piece sleeper jammies), but we put them on BACKWARDS. Worked like a charm! After a few months he simply forgot how much fun it was to completely undress in his crib.

By the way, I was so desperate that I called Dr. Ray and he was the one that gave me that suggestion.

Clare, our 18 mo old has been 'investigating' her diaper contents regularly. She has excellent bowel timing–always at nap/night time sometimes BOTH. Unless I have her covered neck to ankle, she gets the diaper off, or gets her hand in over under through. Bleh. So I cannot put her to bed without a onesie covered by pants–the longer the better. It's still happened a few times since learning the trick when she has fallen asleep in the car or nursing–but who wants to wake a sleeping baby to armor them??? She's so stealthy too! She won't make a peep until the damage is done. This is when you kiss those little hands (after they're clean of course!) and say thank you! You are helping me get to heaven!

Oh yes, and we used to keep the escape artists in diapers by clothing them in sleepers – put on inside out and backwards to make them quite difficult to take off (and believe me it was necessary in some cases!). Of course that's a lot more useful during Wisconsin winters than Texas summers!

Hi Jennifer! Thanks for visiting my blog! I just saw your comment under Voice Lessons. I loved reading your profile…what an amazing story you have. God is so good. He gets our attention even when we don't think He's there to capture it.

Oh my gosh, I just remembered something my daughter did over 9 years ago when she was just over two… while my husband and I enjoyed what we thought was a lovely respite from getting up early on a Saturday morning with three young kids.

We were lazing in bed around 7:30 am in a quiet house of what we assumed were sleeping kids. Then that feeling came over me… you know the one that says things are too quiet… and I got up to check on everyone. The boys were doing fine… sleeping in too, I think. But, our daughter, was not.

I walked into her room to be greeted by a wonderfully naked toddler… smeared head to toe in… nope, not poop… but Penaten Cream! It was everywhere… hair, body, and on the carpet, where she sat smiling at me. If you've ever tried to wash that stuff off, you'll know that it's really greasy… not water soluble… some of it just had to stay on her and soak in… a toddler version of a spa treatment?

Anyway, your story reminded me of this instance, and how mortified I was that I had somehow let my guard down by believing that silence was a good thing. The stains are still in her carpet!

I first heard of your blog through your guest post over at Rachelle Gardner's. I've since subscribed to your feed. I love your writing style (congratulations on your upcoming book, by the way) and I think your story is inspirational and compelling.

I hope you have a great 4th of July with Rita. I think that's wonderful.

Yes, overalls or suspenders — or diaper pins — those would all probably work in the Texas heat. Onesies and zipper P.J.s are probably not an option where you live. Hope you all have an awesome Independence Day!

I just read that Lenny Kravitz interview. KRAZY. Lenny and I should totally talk. We have a few Other People Won't Believe This experiences in common. That part about his dad- oh, it just makes me want to burst open!

OK, my son was hard-core about taking off his diaper, and we had to escalate in the war. Here were the steps:

1. Make sure he was always wearing pants at bedtime. Worked for a while, but then he figured out how to reach under and get at the tabs.

2. Heavy duty, 2" wide masking tape over the tabs. Plastic packing tape DOES NOT work because it comes off too easily. Duct tape would work, but isn't as easy to tear, so less convenient for parents than masking tape. Worked until he figured out how to wriggle out of the diaper, tape and all.

3. Always using one-piece pajamas, put on backwards, when possible. When not possible, taping the shirt and pants together. Seriously. We would usually wrap the masking tape around his waist twice. But he eventually figured out how to get the tape off. This was when he was about 32 months old.

4. Despair. Believe it or not… despair worked. I think he was beginning to see all the taping and such as a challenge. So we finally gave up. Instead, we told him he would get a treat if he left his diaper on. By this time, he was finally old enough to cooperate, and the diaper stayed on most of the time.

It seems really strange to write this (and don't know if anyone else has) but I wonder if there is a mineral that your child needs more of. Often pica is caused by that. Oh wait, does she try to eat it at all? I shoulda double-checked that but don't have the time now. Maybe an extra vitamin/mineral supplement for her?